Switzerland is a paradox. It features breathtakingly pristine mountain, glacier and lake scenery alongside splendidly engineered craftsmanship, as evidenced by its watchmakers and prompt trains. A microcosm of Europe, it includes regions where you'll hear the languages of Germany, France and Italy, and discover the food, architecture and lifestyles of all those countries.

From June 15 to 21, the world's best golfers will be at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y., for the U.S. Open, the second major event of the season. This marks a return to Bethpage for the championship event, which the state park hosted in 2002. This year, as then, golfers will play the par-71 Black Course during the championship days (June 18 to 21).

World-class downhill slopes and chillingly steep "front four" mountaintop runs have made Stowe, Vt., a favorite destination for skiers. On a jaunt in summer, however, I discovered that this historic New England village has far more to offer than skiing. I also realized how dramatically the Green State differs from anywhere else in the country.

The European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition drew about 13,700 attendees and 440 exhibitors last year and organizers expect a similar turnout for 2009's event, to be held May 12 to 14 at Geneva PalExpo.

On your approach to Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, you'll gaze down on one of America's most historic landscapes, where gardens, vineyards and venerable country estates dot rolling hills and woodlands. On one hilltop, you'll spot an elegant, white-domed Palladian villa that mysteriously arrived from northern Italy and materialized here in the hills of central Virginia.

An abrupt turn of the steering wheel maneuvered the Jeep off the narrow rutted road. The driver jumped out, grabbed his machete, ran to the nearby trees and hacked down a few mangos. The man sliced through golden skin, revealing fiery orange flesh, so juicy it oozed down his sinewy arms. "Fruit of the island," he said, offering the pieces to his passengers.

Lights! Camera! Airplanes! The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, will present its second annual Reel Stuff Film Festival of Aviation March 12 to 15.

If you collect classic cars or just enjoy viewing them, mark your calendar for January 11 to 18. That's when Barrett-Jackson will host its 38th annual car collector show in Scottsdale, Ariz. Last year's event drew a remarkable attendance-280,000 people.

While booking a stay in a luxury Hawaiian hotel isn't hard, finding one that will fly you there on a private jet might be. The Royal Lahaina Resort on Maui and the Royal Kona Resort on the Big Island offer to do just that, via a new service called POSH Private Jet Holidays.

Looking to get a jet card, buy a new or used jet, find the coolest cabin amenities, set up a flight department, talk to aviation lenders and insurance agents or learn the latest news about the industry as it takes place? The National Business Aviation Association's annual Convention and Exhibition-which rolls into Orlando, Fla., October 6 to 8-is the place to go.

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Quote/Unquote

“"Many years ago, our company founder, Al Conklin, sold a new twin-engine business aircraft to a very successful entrepreneur. He had established a bit of a rapport with the individual and, after the sale, asked him straight out, 'How can you justify the cost of this airplane?' His reply? 'What is the cost of a divorce?'"–David Wyndham, president, Conklin & de Decker”